Master and the stray
by Ayingott
Summary: It had been just a simple mission of killing one asshole, that's it. So why was Xanxus now going home with a brat he had just picked up? Parental!Xanxus and Child!Tsuna, AU-ish.
1. Meeting the stray

**Disclaimer: KHR does not belong to me.**

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**Master and the stray.**

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Xanxus started at the child that was sitting behind the crates and barrels in the alleyway. Dirty rags were covering the small and bruised body, the child's hair was all over the place, grown so long that his face couldn't be seen. He had seen many brats like this one here - it was just that kind of place. But it was the first time for the Varia boss to actually feel one looking back at him.

There was a small shiver from the kid when Xanxus intensified his glare, but the child didn't look away. He kept staring at the man and clutching the clothes he was wearing between his bony fingers. It was like he was weighting something out; making sure that Xaxnus was the right one for whatever he wanted the other to do.

It was interesting, so Xanxus just stared back.

It seemed that the kid had finally made a decision for he stood up, his legs giving out the second he had straightened out, so the kid grabbed a hold of one of the crates to support himself. He looked to be in pain and Xaxnus could see the dried up bloodstains that were staining the bottom part of the kid's clothes.

When the small child was steady enough he limped towards the boss, stopping at an appropriate distance from him, as not to get in Xanxus's way or irritate him more. He tilted his head upwards, the purple bruise in the shape of hands revealing itself on his neck as the kid did so, and opened his mouth, "Mister, you're really strong, right?"

Xaxnus barely heard the question. The kid's voice was just barely there – weak and small and rarely used, apparently. "Of course I am, trash. What do you want."

It wasn't a question. It was an order.

"Mister," the kid let go of the crate he was holding on to and allowed his hands to hang limply on his sides. There was a small intake of breath and then a cough followed, "can you kill me?"

"Why should I?" Xanxus wasn't a man to hold himself back from killing someone, much less when they asked for it themselves. But his intuition whispered that he should wait and see why the child had made such a request. It also said that no matter the answer he shouldn't kill the child.

The kid paused, his legs trembling as he tried to keep standing, and then he looked down, "Because Tsu shouldn't be alive. That's what Tsu's papa and all the others said." He looked at his little fingers and then back at Xaxnus, "That's why, mister, can you kill me?"

"Fuck no." the answer was immediate. It wasn't because Xanxus didn't want to kill – he _liked_ killing. But he, even he, would never kill a child, even if the kid would beg for him to do the deed and take his life. No, even in the dirty world he lived in there were things you did and did not do.

Also, his intuition told him that the kid had to live. He had to live, preferably by Xanxus's side. His intuition never lied, that damned thing.

The child had flinched. From Xanxus's voice or maybe from the fact that he had been denied, the man didn't know. The kid's legs gave out, the small, frail body fell on the ground and the bony knees began to bleed a little. The kid kept quiet though, not a sound came from his mouth, only a small whine.

Xanxus stared at the kid and then took two steps to stand right in front of him, his red eyes staring at the trembling kid. He reached forward, grabbed the kid by the back of the dirty shirt that was covering the small body and lifted the child up, so that they were on the same eye level.

"Name." it was an order, but not as harsh as he would usually make it sound.

He presumed that the kid had blinked, he wouldn't really know because of the hair _everywhere_, and then opened his mouth before closing it again. On the second time the kid spoke, his voice trembling a little, "Tsuna. Tsunayoshi, actually."

Xanxus narrowed his eyes slightly at the brat. He'd call him brat or trash for now, but he would keep the name in mind, just in case. The Varia boss took a better hold of the kid, slinging the frail body over his shoulder and keeping it steady with the same arm that he had used to pick the street rat up. "First thing we do is cut that fucking hair, it's pissing me off."

It had been just a simple mission of killing one asshole, that's it. So why was he now going home with a brat he had just picked up? Xanxus tsk-ed and made his way back to the car – he'd think about it later. Right now he had to get back to the mansion, write a fucking report and then he would figure out what to do with the brat slung over his shoulder.

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**A/N: I don't know. I really don't know. There will be more chapters yet to come, yes. **

**If anyone will comment on this being a stolen idea from another fic that as about Xansus and Tsuna in a setting like this, then no, I did not steal the idea. There will be a different plot line, don't worry. **

**Ayingott out.**


	2. Seeing the stray

**Disclaimer: KHR does not belong to me.**

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**UekiKosuke: **It's ok babes, here comes more! And thank you for assuring me that I started out ok. I love you~ 3

**Yorutsuki-Lunia: **Thank you for the suggestions, but I will keep my story as I have already planned it out. No twins, no multiple flames for Tsuna, no mysterious hooded person, no ring battles, no sick Tsuna. This is sort of an AU, so there will be some things that are the same and some that will be different.

**Pinksamurai1014: **Xanxu's is a lazy ass, so he will keep it Tsuna. :)

**Baylee1100: **There will be no ring competition since this is sort of an AU.

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**Master and the stray.**

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Xanxu's took a gulp from the bottle of wine and stared at the still dirty, but now less hairy, kid that was sitting in front of him on the carpeted floor. It had been pretty easy to trim the kid, he hadn't seemed to care either way, so Xaxnus simply took the scissors and did what had to be done. The hair that had been cut off he burned.

The kid had big, round chocolate brown eyes. They showed the Varia's boss that the kid wasn't afraid, albeit a little confused. That was good – cowards weren't allowed to stay by his side. The kid's face was small and delicate, the baby fat still there, but cheeks slightly hollow from the malnutrition. That would be fixed pretty soon too.

Now all the kid needed was a bath and a change of clothes.

And that brought another set of problems – where the fuck was Xanxus supposed to get clothes that would fit the scrawny little brat? For the washing he would make one, or more, of his maids to do it. It was their job, they get paid for it, and so they would do what he told them to do. But for the clothes…

"Mister," the child spoke in a quiet voice, coughing after the first word, "Why is Tsu here?" there was curiosity lacing the voice, no sign of fear though.

Xaxnus wasn't sure if the appearance of the word 'cute' in his head was a good thing or not, since he had never once in his life thought of something as cute. Maybe, except Bester - after the big cat had gotten his claws on some catnip. Still, Xanxus thought as he took another gulp of the wine, something told him that the kid would make his life far more troublesome as it already was.

"Because I felt like picking up a dirty stray." He finally answered the kid and placed the wine bottle on the small round table next to his chair. He then picked the kid up by the scruff of his shirt and dangled him in the air, "A pet."

The kid, Tsuna, tilted his head on the left, big eyes blinking and then he frowned a little, "Pet? Like a doggie? Tsu's papa has a doggie. But that doggie bites Tsu a lot." There were bite wounds on the kid's arms, yellow and purple colorings surrounding them and dried blood on top of the wounds.

Xanxu's stared at the kid and then sighed, "Not like that." He put the kid back on the carpeted floor and hollered, "Trash! Get in here! Now!" he saw the kid flinch but couldn't, at the moment, get himself to care.

The poor maid that he had yelled for looked terrified when she came into the room, her eyes momentarily glancing at the child and then at her master. She bowed, trembling hands clutching the apron she wore. "Yes, Xanxus-sama."

"Wash that one up." Xanxu's nodded his head in Tsuna's direction and then got up, striding to his closet in few long steps. He opened the closet, peered inside and then pulled out one of his black t-shirts. "Make him wear this and something under, then bring him back. Now move, trash." He dropped the shirt on Tsuna's head when he passed by him on his way back to the chair.

The maid bowed one more time. Without saying anything she quickly walked over to the child, took the shirt in her hands and then took the frail hand in a secure and warm hold, pulling Tsuna up on his feet and leading him out of the room.

Now that the kid was gone Xanxu's could do some paperwork and report back to his old man, the current leader of Vongola. After that he had to figure out what to do with the little brat and get clothes for him too. Xanxu's didn't want more naked people running around his goddamn mansion; the thing with Levi was traumatizing enough.

His intuition told the Varia leader that everything will work out good though, even when the child would meet the rest of the Varia, who were currently out doing missions or whatever else they were doing, Xanxus didn't care either way. The thing was – he didn't need to do shit for it to work out. And that was perfect since Xaxnus didn't like doing anything else except destroy and kill. And drink and eat, that too.

An hour, one shitty report and three more bottles of wine later the kid was brought back – clean and dressed in Xaxnus's black shirt. Now that the layer of dirt and blood was gone the wounds, bruises and scars on that small and frail body were even more obvious and eye-catching. The maid's seemed to have taken care of the larger wounds, bandaging them tightly. That was good, less work for Xanxus.

"Hnn…" the boss acknowledged the work done and motioned for the kid to come closer. "Bring food next. Meat." He looked down on the kid who was slowly walking to him, it seemed that walking was still painful to the child, and then added, "And something for that too."

The maid that had brought the child back bowed, "Understood, sir."

Xaxnus looked at the kid, who was now holding onto Xaxnus's chair to keep himself up, his hands trembling lightly. The Varia boss narrowed his eyes and then tch-ed, grabbing the child by the shirt and lifting him up. "What the fuck am I even doing?" the male muttered under his nose and placed the kid in his lap.

There was a surprised yelp from the kid, since he hadn't expected to be moved in the lap, but then a small smile settled on the kid's lips. He seemed happy to be able to feel the warmth of another.

This kid will be a pain in the ass; Xaxnus knew that just by looking at the smiling child in his lap. But his intuition told him that it would pay off later. For now, he would trust it, seeing as it hadn't been wrong before.

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**A/N: Guys, calm yo' tits. This is an AU-ish story, so if course something will be changed. Still, I am so glad that you all liked this so much. I will try to update as often as I can, but well… we'll see how it turns out. **

**Ayingott out.**


	3. Introducing the stray

**Disclaimer: KHR does not belong to me.**

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**Yuuhikari0308: **There will only be fluff between Xanxus and Tsuna, seeing as Xanxus will become Tsuna's guardian.

**Fightergirlkl: **Xanxus is a lot nicer than in the original series since he hasn't been frozen by Nono in this AU. Before he was frozen he was a pretty… um… calmer than after that, I think.

**Mukii: **I don't know what you wrote me, but thank you anyway!

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**Master and the stray.**

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The two had eaten in silence. The child had moved to sit on the floor rather than Xanxus's lap, since it was easier for him to eat like that. Tsuna's portion had been a bit smaller than the Varia boss's, the steak already cut in smaller pieces and potatoes mashed up. The kid had no problem eating it then and that was all that mattered, Xaxnus supposed.

Once the food was eaten and Xanxus gone back to doing paperwork, Tsuna silently walked around the room, looking at all the new things he had never seen before. There were a lot of books in the bookshelves, beautiful paintings on the walls and guns in strange places all around the room. Though, seeing as this was the office it was, in a sense, obvious why they were there as an extra safety in case some guest decided to be… problematic.

Just when the child's small arm reached out for a small statue that was made to resemble a roaring lion the office door was kicked open a teen wearing a tiara marched in. Tsuna froze in place and blinked his big eyes, looking at the new person that had come. The blond's eyes were covered by his hair, a shit eating grin on face and he was waving a couple sheets of paper in his hand. He smelled like danger. Tsuna had seen people with the same aura and smell as this guy meeting up with his papa. Sometimes they left him alone and sometimes they didn't.

"Shishishishi~ The Prince has returned from his mission. Mammon is back too." The blond wearing the tiara threw the few pages of paper on Xanxus's desk, saying something about how the mission went and how he took care of the enemy and then something about Mammon being unresponsive.

The Varia boss gave a sound of acknowledgement and ignored everything else that didn't interest him. It was only when the blond commented about the 'cute kitty' that Xanxus gave more than a growl as an answer. "Picked him up, he's my pet now."

Tsuna wasn't sure what had happened, but he was suddenly held up in the air and on the same eye-level as the blond Prince. Brown eyes blinked curiously and then he tilted his head a little to the right. The hands under his armpits tighten a little and then he's held up even higher in the air, so high that he has to look down on the one who's holding him right now.

"Prince likes this Kitty. He looks cute." A pleased gin spreads on those lips and the peculiar laugh is made again, "Will the Kitty say with us or go to the old man?" he asks next, turning his head to look at his boss.

"Didn't you hear me, you trash. He's my pet." Xanxus growls back and throws the papers on his table, red eyes turn to stare at the two, "Like hell I will give him to the old fart."

Tsuna merely blinks and looks at Xanxus and then at the blond Prince, wondering what will happen to him now. Though, when the Varia boss had called him his pet the blond had lowered him a little, so Tsuna understood that he won't be beaten or thrown around, not now at least. However, while he is still trying to understand what is happening right now, another person joins them. It's an older looking man with colorful hair, sunglasses and lots of feathers.

"Bossu~ I just got back from my trip to the town and- Oh my, what a cutie! Where did he come from?" the man, Tsuna supposes, pulls him out of the blond's hold and hugs tightly, ruffling his hair and muttering something about seeing something this cute for the first time in his life, "Oh my, you poor thing, just look at you. Who would do such a thing?"

The kid can only blink and tilt his head on one side when he's back on the ground the man in crouching in front of him, a gentle thumb caressing his cheek. Tsuna closes his eyes and then quietly says, calmed down by the man's gentle touch, "Tsu's papa said that this is all Tsu is good for."

There is a shocked gasp and he's once again being hugged and pushed against a firm chest. "Oh my god, that man must be killed. You poor thing, Lussuria will take good care of you."

"The Prince was the first to find the Kitty, so Prince will keep him." The blond suddenly says and Tsuna is once again held by the back of his shirt and his feet are dangling in the air. He ignores what the blond Prince says next and giggles a little – these people were pretty funny.

There is a loud growl and Xanxus's voice shuts the other two up and puts an end to the bickering, "The little trash is _my pet_, so none of you get to keep him. Now get the fuck out of my office, you two are fucking annoying." The way Xanxus's eyes glare is enough to show the two that either they get out or get shot.

"Haaai bossu. I will take the little cutie with me, ok?" Lussuria smiles and takes Tsuna from the blond Prince's hands, this time with little resistance from the said Prince, and places the child on his hip, one hand holding Tsuna up so that he wouldn't fall. "Let's go little one, Lussuria will have to find you something else to wear. Bossu's shirt is much too big for you."

"Shishishi~ Prince thinks that Kitty looks cute enough like that, but since you have a lot of good stuff the Prince will help." The blond commented from besides Lussuria.

Tsuna, who was holding tightly onto Lussuria's coat, leaned a bit forward to be able to see the blond teen better and then asked, curiosity finally taking over, "Ne, mister, what is your name? Are you really a prince? Does Tsu have to call you a prince too?"

"Of course the Prince is a prince, little Kitty. But you can also call me Bel." The blonde says and reaches out to ruffle Tsuna's hair, testing out how those locks feel against his skin. "You really are as soft as a cat, Kitty."

Tsuna, in turn, giggles and tightens his hold on Lussuria's coats. "Tsu's not a kitty." The boy laughs, "But if Prince Bel says that Tsu's a kitty then Tsu will be a kitty for Prince Bel." Tsuna remembered that his mama once said that princes were very strong and fought dragons to save princesses, so people had to listen to whatever a prince asked them to do.

"You're so adorable!" Lussuria coos again and places Tsuna on his left hip, so that Bel could have easier access to the kid, "I should go and murder that fool who dared to hurt you like this. Tomorrow maybe." He sighs and then brightens up a little bit, "Precious, what's your name?"

Tsuna looks up at Lussuria and smiles, "Tsunayoshi."

After that there is a lot of cooing from Lussuria again and Bel only snickers when the older man is threatening him with a beating when Tsuna is taken out of his arms again and the blond is running away, holding the child securely on his shoulder. They somehow get to a room where there is only a big fireplace, bookshelves and couches for people to sit in and Lussuria is already calling for a maid and asking her to bring some of the clothes meant for children from his room.

Tsuna can only look around in wonder when he sees things that he had never even dreamed of seeing. There are more books and paintings and the furniture looks nothing like the ones at his home, which are broken and dirty and covered in scratches and holes. He laughs when both Bel and Lussuria start to dress him in various articles of clothing, trying to see what would fit him the best from everything that Lussuria owns. They make sure not to worsen Tsuna's wounds while dressing him up and finally stop when Tsuna's wearing an orange hoodie and simple black pants, socks covering his feet.

It's late in the evening when the rest return from missions or a day off and Tsuna's already asleep in Lussuria's lap. Squalo is about to open his mouth and yell out something along the lines of 'what the fuck is that brat doing here' or maybe a 'voooi', but one look from Lussuria and he doesn't dare to make a sound. It's then that Xanxus walks in, ignoring Levi's questions about his day, and picks up Tsuna from Lussuria's lap.

"My pet." Is all he says when Squalo gives him a weird look and marches out of the room with Tsuna sleeping on his shoulder, probably to return to his own bedroom and get some sleep.

Squalo still seems more than slightly confused, but writes it off as another of his boss's whims and pulls out a bottle of rum and a glass from the hidden bar. Levi looks like he couldn't care less, as long as his place in the hierarchy of Varia is not endangered and Viper had never even showed up. Bel said that she had flown to her room the moment they got back, mumbling something about deals and money under her nose.

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**A/N: I don't like how this chapter turned out, but I guess it's ok. I bet you all waited something else from the introductions, but I figured that I should go about this in an unusual way, so here you go – out of the ordinary meetings! **

**Ayingott out.**


	4. Reassuring the stray

**flooDisclaimer: KHR does not belong to me.**

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**Skyinthenightslove: **Because he knew Tsuna would be coming. Ok, no. In my headcanons Luss loves children, so he often goes around and visits orphanages and gives the kids there clothes and toys and other stuff. That's why he has them in his room.

**Meota Tsukiko: **There are two different people in this fandom – those who think Mammon is a girl and those who think Mammon in a man. I am of those who think of her as a woman. So yeah, in my fic she will be a woman.

**Tiger723: **Fran is not a part of the Varia, but he might show up later, if I feel like making him show up.

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**Master and the stray.**

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Tsuna wakes up feeling warm and comfy, something that he has last felt only when his mother was still alive. It takes some time for the child to blink away the sleep and finally look around in hopes to see where he was and why was it so soft. When he did do so Tsuna found himself sleeping next to Xanxus, still wearing the clothes that Lussuria and Bel had dressed him into yesterday.

The child immediately sits up and looks around the room. He shouldn't be sleeping here; his place was on the floor. At least, that's what his papa had told him before kicking him to sleep next to the dog. He should be getting out, before Xanxus wakes up. Who knows what the Varia boss would do to him if he were to find the child sleeping in the bed.

Brown eyes look around for the best way to get out before giving up –the result would be the same anyway. Slowly he starts to crawl away from Xanxus and to the empty side of the bed, the idea of simply sliding down the side foroms in the child's head. However, Tsuna has only managed to crawl only a little before his leg is suddenly caught by a strong hand and he's being pulled back.

"The fuck are you doing, you shitty brat?" Xanxus growls low, sleep still in his voice but is slowly disappearing. He opens his eyes and looks at the child he's holding by the leg.

Tsuna looks scared, his brown eyes are downcast and fingers clutching the white sheets. He's in trouble now, isn't he, for being on the bed? He has to wonder what will happen to him now, since his papa had kicked him in the stomach and then thrown him out of the house for the next three days. The kid no longer remembered how he got back inside, all that was left in his memory was the cold rain hitting against his skin, the wind that made him shiver and the dull pain from the place where he had been kicked. The Varia boss would surely do something worse, right?

"U-umm.." the child starts and looks up briefly before lowering his eyes again, "I-I'm sorry, I was getting out already. Just don't hit me, please." His voice broke a little near the end and he tries to make himself look smaller than he already is.

"Like shit I'll do that." Xanxus growls low, sleep still evident in his voice and actions, but now just a small fleeting image and nothing more. He sits up and then glares at Tsuna, "Didn't you hear it yesterday, you fucking trash? You're my pet, so it's only obvious you get treated well."

Tsuna blinks and then makes a small sound, something similar to a whine, before he's suddenly crying quietly, small sobs wrecking his small body. This was the first time in a long, long time that someone had said something like that to him, something that wasn't a threat or an insult. He had already forgotten how it felt to be treated so nicely, to hear such words directed at him, even if they were short and not much.

Xanxus makes a face, something between a glare and surprise, but then looks away and says, "Men don't cry, trash. But I will forgive you this one time."

"Tha-thank y-you, mi-mister." The child hiccups and tries to wipe the tears away. It proved to be a useless action since they seemed to be never ending, all the hurt that had piled up over the years spent with only his father finally spilling out, just because of a few seemingly kind words.

While it hadn't it happened before, during the day when Lussuria and Bel were both throwing around things like 'you're just so cute' and 'you'll be safe with us', because Tsuna had been overwhelmed about everything happening, about the place where he was at and the people who didn't hit and wound him, now, when his childish mind had finally caught up with everything happening, he could finally let it all out. He was finally able to cry, something that he had been banned from doing before.

A sigh reaches Tsuna's ears and then Xanxus gets out of the bed, still not looking at the child. He makes his way to the dresser, in order to find something suitable to wear today and yawns, "Don't call me mister, that's fucking creepy."

"Eh? Uhmm…" the stream of tears stops a little and Tsuna blinks, looking at Xanxus with his large eyes, red and full with tears still. "Then, how should Tsu call you, mister?" he asks, crawling to the end of the bed, just so he could be a bit closer to Xanxus.

The Varia leader looks back at the child with a frown on his face and then, after staring at Tsuna for a few seconds, he returns to getting dressed for the day. "Boss, just like all the other trashes call me. I don't care how you call the rest of them."

Tsuna makes a small noise of agreement and the tries the word out, whispering it quietly to himself. It sounds strange at first; something he had never said before, but after repeating it for a few times there is no longer the awkwardness that had been there at first. The child smiles softly then, happiness growing inside of him for reasons that a five year old can't quite understand right now.

Once Xanxus is dressed he finally looks at his pet, red eyes doing a quick once-over of Tsuna. With a small tch the man picks the kid up by the scruff of his shirt and carries him out of the room and down the hallways. He doesn't say anything, nor does Tsuna ask questions.

Before entering the dining room though, Xanxus stops and lifts Tsuna up, so that they both would be on the same eye-level and says, "You're part of Varia now, so man up, little trash."

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**A/N: Short chapter is short, but I compensate with cuteness.**

**Next chapters will be all random, from character interaction to lessons on fighting and Tsuna meeting people, so I am not sure what will happen next. This story has no certain plot, after all.**

**Ayingott out.**


	5. Feeding the stray

**flooDisclaimer: KHR does not belong to me.**

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**Tiger723: **Yeah, we need no plot! Well, it will follow a story line of sorts, but hell if I know what kind of. And yeah, maybe I will include Fran sometime later, like a school mate or idk a random playmate for Tsuna. This fic is still just a bunch of random ideas and quick, unstable plot lines, after all.

**Harlett: **You can try to hug him, but I won't be the one to clean up what is left of you afterwards. And only Tsuna can be his pet, he's special. uwu

**Pure Red Crane: **Maybe, maybe not. I will have to see how my plans for this little, supposed oneshot, will change and develop.

**Guest:** …Never thought of Varia as cute, but sure?

**Rikka-tan: **Tsuna's around five/six years old, I never mentioned that, yeah. And he's really small for his age, since his father did not take care of him. Lack of nutrition, proper living place – things like that prevent a child from growing up as he should have.

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**Master and the stray.**

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It had been two days since the little talk Tsuna had with Xanxus, the one where he was called a part of Varia, a part of a family, a part of _something_. For the little child, who had been treated like dirt for his whole and short life, who had been constantly reminded that his very existence was a mistake and something unwanted, those words were like a miracle. He now had a place; somewhere he belonged to and was welcomed in.

"L-Luss-nee." Tsuna calls out to the assassin quietly, small hand carefully reaching out to hold on the other's coat, "W-why is Squalo hitting Levi-san?" his voice is slightly curious, big eyes watching the beating and yelling that was going on in the middle of the spacious room.

The last two days he had been introduced to everyone, presented as Xaxnus's pet and the newest addition to the Varia. It had taken a little while but now Tsuna knew the names of everyone and how he should call them. Lussuria, the one that had taken the role of the kid's mother, a mother that Tsuna had never really gotten to know, had healed some of his wounds and made sure that he eats during meal times and no one bullies him.

A gentle laugh reaches Tsuna's ears and then he is lifted in the air and placed on Lussuria's hip, a strong arm holding him in place and not letting the child fall. "That is how Squalo shows that he cares, little one. Though, this time he found Levi gluing posters proclaiming his love to bossu all over the house."

"Uh.. pro…proc… Was it something bad?" the child asks then, eyes wide and moving from looking at the two that were fighting to Lussuria. This was something that he saw for the first time in his short life. Even though Levi-san was being hit over the head by a sword he didn't look like he was in much pain or even scared.

"Oh no, no, little cutie. It was just a little annoying and he does something like that every other day. Don't worry, he'll back to his usual self once bossu comes and talks to him." The assassin gently pats Tsuna on the head and then turns to leave and let the two be. "Now, let's go and find something for you to eat, pumpkin. It's already lunch time."

Tsuna giggled and held on tighter to Lussuria as the assassin carried him to the dining room, looking around as they walked through the corridors and rooms. Even during the whole four days that he had been here Tsuna had yet to stop wondering and feeling surprised about the house that he now lived in. It was all new to the child, all things he saw for the first time in his life, as well as felt someone being kind to him.

Once in the dining room Lussuria placed the kid on a chair close by and walked off to the kitchens for something light that Tsuna could eat. He may be around six years old but he was still smaller than other children his age, so it was obvious that the child needed food, good food, to be able to come close to what a healthy child his age looked like. Tsuna was just glad that he could eat food that was warm and fresh, not leftovers that were thrown his way only when his papa remembered about him.

"Here you go precious~." Lussuria's voice brings Tsunayoshi out of the small daydream about the past and his new life. A plate of some soup is placed before him. It's warm and smells so tasty, once again a first for the little child.

"Thank you, Luss-nee!" Tsuna smiles at the man and reaches for the spoon in the assassin's hand, "This seems really tasty! Like nothing I've ever seen before. Papa only gave me cold things to eat and they always smelled funny." His eyes sparkle as he dips the spoon into the red liquid and then pulls it back up, bringing it close to his mouth.

The man next to him coos and swiftly ties a cloth around the child's neck, so that his clothes would be kept safe and clean from any kind of accidents. "Pumpkin, nee-san here is so glad to hear that! It warms my heart to know that this little one," Lussuria pokes Tsuna's nose lightly and giggles, "is eating and loving what he eats. Ahhhn, I could just smother you with love, you cute little thing!"

Tsuna laughs as well, because he had already gotten somewhat used to the love he received from Lussuria, to Xanxus taking care of him in his own way, to Squalo's yelling and loud voice when asking if he was ok, to Belphegor's pranks, to Mammon's disinterest and the casual way she asked if he needed to reach that book over there and to Levi patting him on the head when walking by. They had taken him in their family so easily, as if he had been there all along.

"I love you too, Luss-nee." The child smiles up at his current companion and he really means it. They were all his family now, the people who he loved. "And I love everyone else too. I am so happy here. I get to eat tasty food and wear clean clothes and it's always warm." He looks down at the bowl before him, the soup almost gone. There is still a smile on his lips, a light blush on his cheeks.

While Lussuria continues to coo over the child, his motherly instincts kicking on full-drive and the need to make sure that his little baby is well taken care of and growing stronger yet, there is a shadow that shifts from its position by the dining room door. Xanxus watches the two interact, a small frown on his face – it was good that the little brat was finally getting used to the things here, he thought.

"Little trash." The man whispers before walking away, back to his office to eat as well. He had yet to figure out what he will do with the stray that he had picked up on a whim, but Xanxus was sure as hell that he would not be giving the child away. His intuition said not to do so, his heart didn't seem to want to let go as well.

For now, the child was eating and his wounds had healed, that was enough for this moment. Xanxus would think of the rest as time moves on and when it is needed that he makes the decisions.

* * *

**A/N: I have a feeling that the next chapter will be with Mammon and Tsuna, something about them doing things together. I think, yes.**

**Ayingott out.**


End file.
